Criminalization of Sea Rescue

Our short film tells the story of a group of Spanish firefighters and two other volunteers who were arrested on the island of Lesvos, Greece in 2016 for helping refugees. They were charged with human trafficking, and had to return to Lesvos for their trial in 2018. They faced up to ten years in jail if convicted.

The criminalization of volunteer efforts to help refugees in ongoing. In August, three more volunteers on Lesvos were arrested, including the sister of an olympic swimmer from Syria who help pull her sinking dingy to safety.